Wii-U demoed at pre-E3 presentation

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Nintendo’s E3 conference kicks off on June 5th, but it decided to show off the Wii-U a little early in a pre-E3 showcase. The idea behind the Wii-U is that it needs to be unique, “in a good way, and bring people together rather than separate them. Some changes have been made to the prototype previously shown. The biggest, and possibly most wanted change, is that traditional analog sticks have replaced the circle pads. President of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, said that the circle pads are fine for gaming on-the-go, but not as suitable for a home system.

Iwata made special reference to the screens on the Wii-U controller. The term “Isometric Diversity” was used to describe the idea that what is happening on the gamepad can be different to what is happening on the big screen. Certain games will allow users to play without use or access to a TV. We’ve all had those moments where we come home looking forward to a gaming session, only to find that space occupied. Nintendo did not mention which games will support this feature.

The presentation video shows off some uses for the touchscreen gamepad along with Wii-U game footage. One such video shows off a zombie game, which may show that Nintendo is attempting to appeal to the more traditional gamer. If stuck, gamers can consult forums and discuss games too, all from the comfort of their Wii-U. That certainly looks like an interesting implementation.

Nintendo is pushing the social side of the console with online interaction, communication between Miis and connection between living rooms, “regardless of space or time”. While the Miiverse will be launched with the Wii-U, Nintendo plans to enable access to the Miiverse from your 3DS, PC and any mobile device.

It will be interesting to see how Nintendo implements the social side of gaming into the Wii-U. We’ll have more of a chance to see if Nintendo can stand out during its conference on Tuesday. The price still remains a mystery, so hopefully we will see an announcement in the coming days. Those who aren’t interested in the Wii-U should be happy to hear that there will be 3DS announcements at Nintendo’s E3 conference.